Fait Accompli
by MirandaPasz
Summary: A strange young girl shows up in Storybrooke to help break the curse by uniting Emma and her true love, but more problems will arise than just bringing the two together.
1. Chapter 1

She has to find the boy, there isn't much time. Her green sheer dress ripples in the breeze, leaving a trail of goose bumps across her slender legs. The short, blonde, fair-skinned girl peeks around the clock tower, tucking a loose curl behind her ear; her brilliant green eyes detect every movement in the surrounding area. The hands on the clock strike a new time and the girl steps out of the shadows, her bare feet padding on the sidewalk, to gaze up at it. Time was running out, and every minute was precious. Another cool breeze brushes against her skin and she wraps her arms around herself, allowing her sun-kissed hair to bounce around her face like delicate tendrils. She wonders where she can find the boy. Will she be able to capture his attention exclusively? She most definitely did not want to capture the queen's attention. The boy was the key to his mother, and she was the key to the salvation of Storybrook. The only obstacle was finding the lock that the key fit into in order to free them all. The queen could ruin all of it if she were to find out that the blonde was here. Lost in thought, the girl was oblivious to the footsteps nearing her. "Excuse me?"

Startled, the blonde whirls to face the stranger. She finds herself face-to-face with a young, short-haired, brunette with soft facial features. She is dressed moderately, yet flattering, in a mid-calf dress and a thin cloth sweater. She immediately recognized the woman as Snow White, the princess. But she is not Snow White here, not in this time.

"I didn't mean to scare yo-" She begins, but the girl darts away into the shadows before the once Snow White can finish her sentence. Chest heaving, the green eyed girl slows to a stop behind a collection of apple trees in a neighboring yard. While catching her breath, she silently curses herself. She is _not_ to be seen. That is of the utmost importance. After she's regained her breath, she slowly peers around the branches of the tree she has taken refuge behind. Her eyes dart from window to window in hopes that this is possibly the boy's residence. She crouches defensively as her eyes find the queen herself through a second story window of the house. The girl's brow creases and she watches in fascination. The queen has short hair now, and is dressed... motherly. She looks like a real mother. The blonde's eyes fill with a longing she has never encountered. The need to be part of a warm, family-like atmosphere is strong and she feels it through her core. The need for someone to love her...

She snorts. The queen. The _evil_ queen. Love her? She forces the feeling to leave her body and disregards it as a spell put in place to draw one to her end, much like a lotus flower. She re-continues her search, for this must be the boy's home if the queen is here. Her gaze moves to the other side of the house and she finds a small, brown-headed boy staring out of his window dreamily. She smiles to herself and silently makes her way toward the house with extreme care.

The girl makes her way up to the sill with the aid of a nearby tree and slowly, so as not to startle the boy, she lifts her head up to look inside the pane. He has moved to his bed and is intently engaged in a large brown book. She bites her lip and lightly taps on the glass. His head snaps up; the startled look on his face quickly turns to amazement and the book slides ever-so slightly down his lap. She puts her fingers to her lips to instruct him to remain quiet and he nods, but the book slips completely out of his grasp, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. The blonde winces and crouches below the window as the queen calls, "Henry, what's going on in there?"

"N-nothing mom!" He calls back and the girl makes herself visible to him once again. She motions for him to open the window and he quickly obliges. She quietly clambers inside and before Henry can speak, places a cool slender hand over his mouth. She delicately raises her eyebrows and he nods, silently promising that he will remain quiet. The blonde speedily shuts the window and returns to Henry, who is now clutching the books in his arms.

"You're Evangeline, aren't you?" He asks, bright-eyed.

"Yes." She answers him, her voice like clear and beautiful.

"Whoa..." He says, sitting on the bed. She follows suit and sits next to him, her green orbs piercing his. "So, like… how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"You seem older than that."

"That's because I have experienced much in my life." She replies. She intakes a quick breath and hesitates before asking her next question.

"Henry, I've been told you know the whereabouts of the daughter of Snow White and the Prince. She is your mother, no?"

"Yeah, she's here. I went and found her on her 28th birthday, like it says in the book." He explains, clearly pleased with his input on the task.

"I must be taken to her; she is one of those to be connected."

"Alright, but... how will we get out? My mom will hear us if we leave my room."

Evangeline flashes him a brilliant smile before grabbing his hand and leading him to the window. "I can get us out, if you can get us _there_."

Henry grins and laces his fingers through hers. She opens the window and once on the ground, let's Henry lead her to his birth mother's house 'the back way he knows'.

It's a late night, and Emma is sitting on Mary-Margaret's couch watching the latest episode of Law & Order: her favorite thing to do on a sleepless night. She has her head propped up on the arm of the couch and one leg draped over the edge; her arms are enclosed around a large half eaten bowl of popcorn. Her eyes begin to droop shut when the door bell rings. She huffs and squeezes her eyes shut. "Coming, coming," She calls when the ringing doesn't stop. She sets the bowl on the opposite cushion of the couch and shuffles to the door. Opening it reveals a very excited Henry who beams up at her. "Henry? Kid what are you doing here at this time of night? Does your mother know you're here?" She mumbles out at the end.

"I have someone you have to meet!" Henry exclaims. He moves to the side to reveal a slender blonde girl with bright green eyes and freckled cheeks. She is dressed in a sheer green spaghetti strap dress and is wearing no shoes. Emma stares at the girl curiously, but allows the two entry – or rather, Henry drags the girl inside – and Emma closes the door behind them.

"Henry, who is this? Where did she come from? And… why doesn't she have any shoes?" Emma asks skeptically and the girl gives a shy smile, revealing perfect pearly white teeth.

"This is Evangeline; she's from my book too!" He explains as though Emma should have already noticed. "She's here to help."

Emma shifts her weight uneasily from foot to foot as Evangeline stares her in the eyes. "Why is she staring at me? I feel like she's looking into my soul or something."

Without any words, the girl strides up to Emma and takes one of the woman's hands in both of hers. She closes her eyes and Emma flinches, but Henry motions to her to stay still. The girl closes her eyes in concentration and Emma feels a warmness flow into her hands. After a few moments, Evangeline's eyes re-open and she looks at Emma with an array of emotions across her facial features: concern, confusion, frustration, and more confusion. She gently shakes her head, her eyes never leaving Emma's. She speaks out loud, but it doesn't seem directed toward anyone in particular. "I… I don't understand. It doesn't make sense." Her brows knit together with worry. "My instincts are never wrong, nor is my sight… but maybe…" She trails off deep in though, her eyes still piercing into Emma's, but the girl is not looking at her. "No. I can't distrust my instincts." She concludes and comes back from her mind to the apartment. She mentally shrugs if off and backs away from Emma, standing once again next to Henry.

"What? What is it? Who is her true love?" Henry babbles out excitedly.

"My what? Hold on kid, that's-"

"Not for you to know." Evangeline states pointedly.

"Yeah, that's my busine-"

"I mean you, Emma." The girl clarifies. Emma gapes, but seeing the look in Evangeline's eyes, decides not to push the matter any further.

They all stand in an awkward silence, looking in non-particular directions for what seems like forever before Henry cautiously broaches the subject of Evangeline's need of a place to stay.

"Why me?" Emma all but whines, and Evangeline narrows her eyes, obviously offended.

"I'm not a difficult keep Miss Swan." She retorts and for a split second Emma is reminded of Regina, but only a second. "I need nothing from you but a place to stay until my work here is finished."

Emma internally debates, but doesn't see the duo giving up anytime soon. "Fine, there's a pull-out couch in the spare bedroom I'm using." she says, mentally wincing apologetically to Mary-Margaret for allowing a stranger that her son brought over to stay at an apartment that wasn't hers. _Too late now_, she thinks to herself as she leads them upstairs. Once Evangeline is inside the room, Emma turns to Henry. "Okay kid, you _really_ need to get home. Your mom is going to kill me, and then you, and then me again." She says frowning.

Henry sighs, but finding the truth in Emma's words goes back down the stairs and she follows.

"Do you need a ride?" She offers.

"No, we don't need my mom any more suspicious of you." Emma is concerned about him going home in the dark, but he grins at her reassuringly. "I live down the street mom, I'll be okay."

She opens her mouth to protest at him calling her mom, but closes it and instead nods and watches out the window until he is in his own yard and she can no longer see him due to the apple trees in it. She takes a deep breath and remembers that there is a girl she doesn't know in her -Mary Margaret's- bedroom. She crosses over to the couch, turns off the TV, grabs the bowl of popcorn and sets it on the counter, and heads back up the stairs. Once inside her room, she shuffles over to where Evangeline is sitting on her bed, staring out the window, and gently sits down next to her. She studies the girl and wonders what is wrong with her own head. _What am I going to tell Mary-Margaret?_ Emma looks at her phone: the school teacher will be home any minute; she should probably wait for her downstairs to prepare her. Before she moves to stand, however, she hears a quiet "thank you… for letting me stay."

"No problem, I just hope Mary-Margaret doesn't mind." She mumbles.

"Mary-Margaret?" Evangeline turns to face Emma, her eyes curious.

"Yeah, she lives here, I'm just her… uh… roommate."

Emma can see the smallest amount of fear in Evangeline's eyes and decides to question. Why would anyone be scared of Mary-Margaret? "Do you know her?" she asks.

"I'm not sure… I know a lot of people in this town, but none of their names here."

Emma's brows crease. "What do you mean?" How could this girl possibly know the people in this town? She'd never seen her before tonight.

"None of them remember me, which for some is good, I suppose. I wouldn't want Henry's mother to recognize me, nor the pawn shop owner. I'm not supposed to be seen… but I guess I'll have to break that rule if I'm to connect you." She replies, and Emma wants to ask her more about how she knows the people of the town, but the girl's last statement takes over her thoughts.

"Yeah, about that… what does that even mean? And who are you 'connecting' me to?"

Evangeline gives Emma a disappointed look. "Emma, do you know who I am?"

"Not really."

Evangeline sighs and rolls her eyes, but explains none the less. "I am what you would call here, fate. I find two souls destined to be together but not able to come together on their own, and unite them. With some, it's obvious that they are meant to be and I can connect them quickly, with others, I have to come into contact with one and search to find their 'soul mate'."

"Is that what you did with me?"

"Yes. You and…" She clears her throat, "…your lover are a very odd pair. I wouldn't have been able to see the connection without searching for it, partially because I've never seen you two together, and partially because it's not the way normal pairings go. This tie goes against everything we've ever believed. It's hard for me to understand, but I think if I saw you together it would make more sense."

"Uh-huh." Emma says, not totally believing the girl. _This is probably some girl from Henry's school who he convinced to do this. Mary-Margaret will probably know who it is when she gets here and we'll take her home. _The sound of the door opening pulls Emma out of her thoughts and makes Evangeline jump.

"Hello? Emma, you home?" A voice calls and Emma can see Evangeline freeze out of her peripheral vision. She looks concernedly from the girl to the door and calls "Yeah I'm up here, but just wait a minute, I'll come down there." She puts her hand on the blondes and squeezes it. "It's okay, Mary-Margaret wouldn't hurt a fly." She assures her and heads down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note** (since I forgot to leave one last time)**:** Hello all c: This is my first published fanfic, so I hope its good enough for you all! The pairing is Emma/Regina, but -if it goes the way I plan it to- it's going to take a while to develop. There _will_ be some Remma interaction in this chapter, but only really implications. The story itself is going to be more fluffy than smutty.

Also, I know this is a swan queen story, but there won't be any swan queen stuff until chapter 3. –Covers head with hands- Sorry sorry! I know that's why you're reading this story, but just stick with me! We're going to get some more on Evangeline in this chapter, and then Emma and Regina togetherness next chapter c: Thanks for reading and commenting, I really appreciate it!

**Disclaimer:** I unfortunately do not own any of the characters except Evangeline. _In my dreams_ -sigh-

"Heyyyy." Emma greets her roommate and shuffles over to join her in the kitchen. She plops down into one of the chairs and lays her chin on crossed arms on the countertop. Mary-Margaret sets down her books and eyes Emma curiously. "Is someone here? I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"Ummm, yeah, listen… I kinda need to talk to you about that." Emma starts, giving Mary-Margaret an apologetic look. The brunette raises her eyebrows at Emma, "Emma, is there a man in my apartment?"

"W-what? No, no. That's not what this is at all." The blonde quickly corrects a look of shock on her face. "It's… okay; this is going to sound crazy."

"Emma, most of the things you say sound crazy."

Emma raises her hands in surrender. "Given, this is… going to sound crazier than most of the things that come out of my mouth." She pauses, and Mary-Margaret motions for her to carry on.

"Henry brought a friend here. And, he says that she's from his fairy-tale book. Her name is Evangeline and I've never seen her before." The brunette's brows knit together in confusion and Emma continues, "I was thinking that maybe it was just a friend from school and maybe you knew her and we could take her home?"

"Hmm… did she say what her name was?"

"Evangeline."

"I… I'm sorry Emma, but I don't have any students with that name. I don't think anyone in the school system has that name."

As Emma purses her lips in thought, a realization comes over Mary-Margaret. "Emma." Emma inclines her head. "Do you mean to tell me that she's _in_ my apartment?" The blonde's face turns apologetic. "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry; I couldn't just leave her out in the street. I didn't know what to do. And I couldn't have Henry take her back home with Reg-"

"Where is she?" Mary-Margaret asks, a bit rushed.

"She's upstairs in the spare room." Emma replies, looking at the brunette curiously. "Is there something wrong?"

Mary-Margaret gives Emma a quick sideways glance, but her mind is otherwise preoccupied. Her gaze rests on the stairs. It lingers there a bit more before she heads over to them and travels up. "I think I saw her today." She replies, finally registering that Emma asked her a question, and continues up the stairs with Emma behind her. However, when they reach the room, Evangeline is no where to be found. Mary-Margaret slows her pace and walks through the room to the open window. Emma, who never left the doorway, walks briskly to the window and leans out into the cool night air. She scours the street, or what she can see of it, but sees no young blonde girl missing a pair of shoes. "Where did you run off to?" She whispers into the breeze.

The ringing and buzzing of Emma's phone on the night stand causes both women to jump and Emma to ram her head into the window frame. "Ugh... damnit." She mumbles, rubbing her head with one hand and reaching for her phone with the other. She grabs it and her face takes on a dirty look. "Great, just what I need," she mutters and jabs the button on her phone. "Hello Madam Mayor." She sighs enunciating her lack of enthusiasm, rolling her eyes in the process. "Oh, kid. What's going on?" She says, her tone of voice changing into a slight worry. She pauses for a few moments, listening to Henry's excited babble on the other line. "What? Alright, on my way over." She shoves her phone in her pocket and pulls on her red jacket and heads downstairs to grab her boots.

"What's going on? Is Henry OK?" Mary-Margaret asks, following her down the stairs.

"Henry said that someone just fell off their roof. I guessing it's that girl, so I'd better find her before Regina does."

Long blonde curls bounce in the evening air as Evangeline daintily leans over the edge of the tiled roof of the mayor's house. She knows now that Mary-Margaret is Snow White and she isn't quite sure how to face that yet, so she decides to clear her mind by taking a short leave from the woman's apartment. She lowers herself a little lower, allowing a better view into the bottom floor dining room where Henry and his mother are eating. A tiny lump forms in her throat and she can't swallow it down. Frustrated with herself, she stands and lithely makes her way to the top of the roof to sit and ponder these foreign feelings. She takes another step and her feet slip out from under her. She smacks the tiles with a heavy thud and the breath rushes out of her. As she rolls down the roof, her arms tangle helplessly around her and she plummets over the edge, hitting the mulched ground hard. For a moment all she can do is grunt in pain and suck in her lost breath. Her hands meekly push on the ground and she forces her eyes open, looking for a quick escape from the hedges that surround her. The front door bursts open and the young girl's blood freezes in her veins.

"Excuse me." The sound of the mayor's voice penetrates through the air and rings through Evangeline's ears. "_Excuse me._" The voice sounds again and Evangeline's brain rattles. "Who are you?" the mayor asks impatiently and footsteps begin to near her. Red signals flash in the girl's brain, slightly messing with her vision, yet her body stays still. She can't move. Fear strikes through her body strong and it is finally enough to convince her muscles to obey her panicky mind. She lifts her legs and though they feel like rubber, is able to push off the ground to move forward. _Anywhere_ away from the queen. She feels fingers at her waist trying to get a hold of her dress and she scrambles. Her breath quickens, her heart is pounding in her head. Throwing herself over the hedges in front of her, she finally regains total control of her legs and sprints into the darkness that consumes the streets, avoiding moonbeams along the way. She's barely made it. She hears shouting from behind her, but the wind whipping past her ears doesn't allow her to make any of it out.

After turning sharp around the corner of the next building, she plows into a warm hard body, knocking her once again to the ground. What was going on? She should've been able to sense someone there. Evangeline has no time to think and staggers to her feet, hand on her forehead. She moves her gaze to see who was unfortunate enough to collide with her. She sees a sea of long blonde curls and recognizes the person as Henry's birth mother. Internally sighing, she moves closer, placing a hand on Emma's which is currently rubbing her shoulder and mutters a soft apology. The hairs on the back of her neck prick as Mar-Margaret steps out from behind Emma. The brunette, without hesitation, crosses to Evangeline and takes her head in her soft hands, surveying the damage to the blonde's head. "Are you okay?" She asks sweetly and Evangeline is reminded of the first time they met. But this isn't Snow, this is Mary-Margaret.

"I'm fine, thank you." She replies quietly and nervously shifts her weight, turning her attention to Emma.

Feeling Evangeline's gaze boring holes into her, Emma raises her eyes to meet the girl's. She sighs, exasperated, "where did you go kid?"

"I, uh…" The young blonde stutters and a pink tint forms in her cheeks. Her eyes snap down to her feet, which suddenly become a high point of interest. A comforting warmth spreads through her, however, when Mary-Margaret grasps her wrist for reassurance. She looks at the brunette and a small smile spread on her face. She's glad that Snow is here, even if she isn't. All three of them hear Regina's voice nearing them and Evangeline turns to face the darkness behind her. She snaps her head back to Mary-Margaret, obvious fear inhibiting her features. She maneuvers her hand in Mary-Margaret's grasp so that she is holding the brunette's hand and turns to Emma once again. "We need to go. Now." She states firmly, and proceeds to drag Mary-Margaret down the street at a rapid pace.

When they reached the house, Evangeline pulled Mary-Margaret into the far end of the kitchen and left her there to cross to Emma, who was walking toward them. "I'm sorry Emma, but I need to talk to… Mary-Margaret in private for a few moments. Could you wait upstairs?"

"Look, I'm not really sure what's going on right now. Where were you? Why are you scared of Mary-Margaret? How do you two even _know _ea-"

"I know you have lots of questions, most of which I can answer for you. But right now I need to talk to Mary-Margaret. After, you can ask any questions you like and I will answer to the best of my ability." Evangeline persuaded, and with a childish huff, Emma trudged up the stairs, mumbling the whole way up about 'this stupid town' and 'fairytale my ass'.

After hearing the click of the door closing, Evangeline turned back to Mary-Margaret with an unreadable expression. She scooted a chair closer to the teacher and sighed almost dramatically. "Alright, I'm sure you have your questions too, but may I request something first?" she asked, not giving Mary-Margaret a chance to respond, "You have to believe me." The brunette just nodded, still wide eyed with confusion about this girl. "Okay, shoot." Evangeline said, positioning herself to be more comfortable for this possibly long conversation. Mary-Margaret wasted no time getting to the questions that had been prodding her mind since the first time they'd met by the clock tower.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I would just like to take the time to say that I absolutely _LOVE_ your comments. I didn't think I would enjoy them as much as I do. I love my readers! :D Anywho, you'll actually get some Emma/Regina interaction this chapter! -cheers- I have a lot of fun writing for those two, they have such chemistry and dynamics. As for Evangeline, you'll get some info on her as the story goes on but seeing as how most of the story is in Emma pov, you'll only get to know what Emma knows (which isn't a whole lot yet). **

**Also, I'm going to try to keep this as canon as possible. DAMNIT ABC FOR MAKING IT SO HARD WITH THE LAST EPISODE. The last episode about Gold gave me many good ideas, but it makes it hard to keep it canon... any suggestions are VERY welcome :) Enjoy!**

**I don't own any of the characters besides Evangeline. I am not affiliated with ABCfamily yada yada yada...**

Emma sat on the bed, listening to the water of the shower run. Mary-Margaret had found clothes for her to wear for the evening and lain them on the bed, but the blonde couldn't find the enthusiasm to put them on. The entire town had been invited to the mayor's house for an employees' appreciation party, and no one refused to attend a Regina Mills party. Mary-Margaret told Emma that the party had more of a formal than casual feel, so her normal jacket/jean combo probably wouldn't meet the quota. The blonde refused to wear a dress, so the two women agreed on a pair of dress paints and a nice v-neck blouse that hung loosely and comfortably, yet was still flattering to her hour-glass figure.

Since it didn't' seem right to leave Evangeline at the apartment for hours, they convinced her to go with them to the party. After Mary-Margaret's discussion with Evangeline a couple of nights ago, the young girl had insisted on sleeping on the couch downstairs, leaving the school teacher to ascend the stairs to say goodnight to Emma. When the blonde asked about the conversation, the brunette gave vague answers and said that she had promised to keep some things to herself. Mainly questions about Emma's 'mystery lover' were kept in confidence.

Emma's mind, however curious about that topic, kept wandering to the information about Evangeline's past that she had gathered from Mary-Margaret and the girl. The past itself was hard to believe, but there was something about Evangeline's demeanor when she relayed the information that made it believable. _She definitely wasn't lying about it, _Emma though to herself.

Evangeline was supposedly from the 'fairy tale' world that everyone in town was from. Since she wasn't technically a _being_, she wasn't affected by the curse. She, along with the remaining from the curse, had conjured a plan to travel to this world and help break the curse in case the child from the prophesy hadn't made it.

That was all Emma was told. She'd learned from her conversations with Evangeline afterward that her past was a touchy subject not easily accessed. Despite being a lively, happy girl, Evangeline kept herself very well guarded.

The water turned off, snapping the sheriff out of her thoughts. With a sigh, she reached over and grabbed the clothes laid out for her and put them on with exaggerated annoyance. Evangeline emerged from the steamy bathroom with a silky white dress that flowed to her mid thigh with vintage patterned flowers tastefully arranged below the ribbon around her petite waist. Her blonde hair, still wet, was already beginning to form ringlets around her freckled face and her shoulders. Emma eyed her with brimming curiosity. "So, what did you mean when you said you were 'becoming more human'?" she asked.

"I thought you got all your questions out three nights ago." Evangeline replied nonchalantly.

"I was tired three nights ago."

The girl to face Emma and leaned against the dresser behind her. "I told you when we met; I am more or less fate. A holder of the future if you will. I took human… _form _to blend in."

Emma pondered this. "So… you don't normally look like," she gestured to the blonde, "this."

"Not usually. I do from time to time, in order to connect people. But not constantly, no."

"So what about the 'too human' thing?"

Evangeline's brow creased with slight worry which was mirrored by her eyes. "Even though I can take human form, I'm _not _exactly human. I'm not subject to most human limitations. I don't need to eat, drink, sleep, etc. But lately, I've been having more and more human problems. I fell off the Mills' roof, I had slow reaction time, and when Regina almost caught me a few nights ago I was so scared I couldn't even move."

"Yeah? She's scary. So?"

Evangeline gave Emma an exasperated look. "I feel emotion but it should never be enough to cloud my thoughts or actions Emma." Emma felt kind of sad for the girl, she was _actually _scared. She reached for the young girl and pulled her into an awkward attempt at a reassuring hug.

"Are we ready to go?" Mary-Margaret asked as she stepped into the doorway, buttoning her sweater. She wore a knee length red dress that hugged her sides modestly down to her hips where it loosely hung.

"Yeah, we're good." Emma responded with a small smile, pulling away from Evangeline and rubbing her upper arms. The young blonde flashed a thankful smile and headed down the stairs behind Mary-Margaret. _Maybe being around Henry is helping me with my mom side_, she thought to herself as she descended into the living room after them.

The three of them decided to walk to the party since it wasn't too far away, making Emma wish instantly that she hadn't decided to wear heels. The two older women walked on either side of Evangeline, almost as if flanking her. Even though she'd only been around for a few days, both women felt a special draw to her and an almost maternal instinct to protect her. As the mayor's house came into view, Evangeline stopped and gasped with her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Mary-Margaret asked, reaching out gently to touch the blonde's arm.

"She can't know my name." she responded. "I need a different one for the party. Regina _cannot _know my name."

"You're really pretty adamant about this, what's so bad about her knowing your name?" Emma asked.

Evangeline gave Emma an incredulous look that Emma had grown used to getting from her. "She can't know who I am Emma, she's the evil queen. She'd try to use me for… things you don't even want to imagine."

As silly as it seemed, Emma felt a tinge of concern about the situation. Evangeline _had _been on Regina's roof the other night and she might try to pull one of her infamous tricks to humiliate the girl or even get her in trouble. So, she thought as they continued walking. "Hmm… How about… Evangeline… Ang… Angie?"

The young blonde put a finger to her lips before finally accepting the name. "Angie seems fine."

Emma smiled, rather proud of herself, and took a steadying breath before starting the trio up the walkway to the large white house. However, when they arrived at the door, none of them seemed courageous enough to knock. After roughly 30 seconds of awkward 'after you' looks at each other, Evangeline took it upon herself to knock on the mayor's door. The door was opened to reveal a dressed up Henry who gained immediate excitement upon seeing the group. "You came!" He exclaimed and threw himself into Emma's arms.

"Course I did kid. I _am _sheriff, so this party's kinda for me." She replied, gently disengaging herself from the boy in case Regina was around and could find a way to sue her for it.

"Miss Swan, Miss Blanchard." Stated the host of the party in an acknowledging tone, appearing around the corner. Regina wore a mid thigh, black, cocktail-like dress that revealed her chest modestly and covered just her shoulders. She backed slightly allowing them entrance and Emma immediately noticed the warm atmosphere that contrasted the usually cold empty house. The living and dining rooms to either side of her were full of food trays and Storybrook residents talking lively to one another. She stepped through the threshold first, followed by Mary-Margaret. Evangeline, however, was stopped upon entering the room, causing both women to turn back at once. Regina eyed her with seemingly innocent curiosity, but full of her famous intimidation. "I don't believe I've seen you around before." She inquired at the blonde who was now attempting to hide her face behind her curls. So much for viewing Regina and Emma at a distance like she'd planned.

Mary-Margaret stepped forward to invent some sort of story to get Evangeline past the eyes of the mayor but Regina was faster. "You're the girl who was-"

All four bodies stopped movement at once; three worried about getting caught and one with a sudden realization on her face. Regina's face immediately softened and she took one of Evangeline's hands in her own. "You must be related to Mary-Margaret." she said with a smile and a shocking change in demeanor. She turned to Mary-Margaret with a masked expression.

"Um… y-yes, this is my… niece, Angie." The school teacher spit out hastily before grabbing the girl's hand and leading her into the next room rambling about the bathroom, leaving Emma and Regina alone in the front hall. The brunette turned to Emma and gave her a once over.

"Glad you decided to _dress up _Sheriff. How professional of you. Although, I do suppose it's better than the boots and leather jacket I expected." The brunette commented with a smirk, leaving Emma red faced and irritated. God this woman made her mad! Brushing it off – or really just not being able to think of a comeback- Emma rolled her eyes before heading after Mary-Margaret and Evangeline, purposefully bumping into Regina's shoulder in hopes to knock her off balance or something. What she got was not an unbalanced mayor, but a rush of tingles shooting up her arm and to her head, causing her hair to stand on end. She couldn't help the small gasp escape her lips, but she forced herself to keep moving. Whatever the hell that was, she didn't want Regina finding out.

As she searched for her roommate, her mind wouldn't let the mayor go. _At least I did dress up a little,_ she thought as she passed by a desert tray, popping a piece of chocolate in her mouth. "At least I didn't have to wear something skin tight and revealing to have more than a teaspoon of sex appeal." The blonde muttered aloud. "Oh, _now_ I think of it!" She quietly cursed to herself. What she'd said however, wasn't true. Regina practically exuded sex appeal. She pictured the mayor in her mind. Her slender legs, perfectly curvy figure, full lips. _No wonder Graham found himself sleeping with her whenever she wanted_.

"Earth to Emma."

Emma shook her head out of her daze to find a hand waving in her face. Ruby was standing directly in front of her and she hadn't even noticed. She handed a glass of wine to the blonde. "Oh, sorry Ruby. I was just..." Emma trailed off before taking a sip.

"Thinking about Regina?"

The sheriff performed a perfect spit take, fortunately to the side so as not to drench Ruby, and apologized to the man walking by. Unfortunately he hadn't been as lucky as Ruby. "_What?_" She asked, her brow creased and eyes wide.

"You had that look. You know, the look you get whenever you've just had an argument with her." Ruby stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of her wine.

Emma opened her mouth to shoot something back but was interrupted by a hand on her own. Mary-Margaret pulled her from Ruby and dragged her down the hallway to a remote spot. She pulled Emma close enough so she could whisper in the blonde's ear. "Mary-Margaret, what's going on?" Emma asked before her roommate hushed her.

"You need to talk to Regina."

"Why?" Emma whined.

Mary-Margaret gave her a stern look. "Emma, that is the reason Evangeline came. It's not going to kill you to talk to her."

The blonde huffed before giving Mary-Margaret a 'fine whatever' look and re-entering the party in search of Regina. Mary-Margaret followed behind, looking to reunited herself with Evangeline. But someone had already gotten to her. As they rounded the corner, they found both people they were looking for. Regina had managed to corner Evangeline -or rather, 'couch' her- and was talking sweetly to the girl, brushing a stray curl out of her face. Evangeline, however, did not look content. She had a pale flush to her skin and seemed in a vain effort to pay attention to the mayor, but was having difficulty. Emma strode up to the both of them, grabbing a drink off the table on her way, and butted her way into the conversational space. Mary-Margaret, who was right behind Emma, was grabbed away before she could make it over by none other than David. She looked at Emma from the corner of her eye before being mentally dragged into David's now animated attempt at conversation with her.

"So Madame Mayor, have you bombarded Angie with enough invading questions or should I give you another hour?" Emma spat, proud of her initial attack.

Regina was decidedly unamused. "Miss Swan don-"

"It's sheriff." Emma dared to correct her.

"...Sheriff Swan," Regina continued, pronouncing the title like it was poisonous. "I do believe I've been nothing but welcoming to your guest." she said sickly sweet, wrapping a free arm tenderly around Evangeline's shoulders. "I've merely been getting to know her." she added with a predatory smile. Emma opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Evangeline slapping her hand over her mouth and bolting into a standing position. Emma knew that look; So did Regina. "Bathroom's upstairs, dear." she said before following the young blonde up the stairs with Emma hot on their heels. Evangeline raced to the bathroom, slammed the lid to the toilet open and threw up hard. Regina followed her closely, kneeling next to her and pulling the blonde's hair out of her face with one hand while searching through the cabinets for a hair tie with the other. Emma entered the bathroom, closing the door behind them and sat against the wall a few feet away from the puking girl.

After putting Evangeline's blonde curls into a pony tail, Regina rubbed her back soothingly, murmuring soft phrases in her ear. Poor Evangeline was shaking and her hands had a white knuckled grip on the bowl. As the mayor rubbed circles in her back, her shaking lessened and her breathing slowed. She closed her eyes and gently allowed herself to lean into Regina, who held her as if she were fragile glass. After a few steadying breaths, she opened her eyes. "W-What happened to me?" she asked in a small scared voice.

"You were throwing up." Regina replied softly, running her hands through the girl's loose curls. Emma wondered why the brunette wasn't concerned about Evangeline not knowing what vomiting was, but decided that this was not the time to question the mayor's motives.

"I'm going to get you some water, I'll be right back dear." Regina said, gently letting go of Evangeline and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. Emma scooted over to the blonde, reaching out to touch her arm. She'd never really been the comforting type. "You okay?" she asked.

Evangeline nodded weakly. "I got so nervous when she started talking to me. I've never been sick before, Emma."

Emma nodded, "Yeah, it sucks. I'll attest to that."

Evangeline nodded in response before looking up at Emma with worry. "I think she knows." Emma opened her mouth to inquire what made Evangeline think that but the topic of conversation came back in the room with a glass of clear liquid. She kneeled down next to Emma, brushing her arm, causing more tingles to shoot up the blonde's arm. Emma flinched away from the contact and when she looked up at Regina she saw what looked like hurt. But it only lasted a moment. _Sorry woman, it's not my fault you practically scorch me every time you touch me._

Both women sat with Evangeline for a few minutes and when it seemed like she wasn't going to be sick anymore, Regina excused herself somewhat quietly -an unusual behavior for her- leaving Emma and Evangeline behind. "You sure you're okay kiddo?" she asked, helping the girl to her feet.

"Yeah, I feel fine now." she replied, coming back around to her old self. They returned to the party to find Mary-Margaret leaving David to talk to them. "Hey, what happened? I started talking to David and I turned around and you were all gone." she asked.

"Regina interrogated Evangeline til she puked." Emma said flatly, resulting in a light slap on her arm from Evangeline. The girl reassured Mary-Margaret's shocked expression, "She's lying. I _did_ get sick, but it was because I was nervous, not because Regina was mean." she corrected.

"Well," Mary-Margaret started with a sigh, "let's find Regina and thank her so we can go home. You're probably not feeling to great since you were just sick."

They wandered through the party and found Regina at the front door, shaking hands with exiting guests. She turned to face them and regarded the Emma and Mary-Margaret with forced friendliness. Evangeline slipped one hand into Emma's before shaking Regina's with the other. "Thank you so much for taking care of me Madame Mayor." she said with a sweet smile, still holding on to the mayor's hand. "Of course, my dear." came the reply.

And as quickly as she could, Evangeline closed her eyes and concentrated. Sparks were flying between the mayor and the sheriff so brightly that it would have been hard for a blind man to miss. They truly had strange but strong chemistry together. Emma and Regina simultaneously felt a warm tingly feeling flow into them from Evangeline's hands but didn't make to move. They simply stared at each other and for the first time in their lives, but not the last, they saw their own expression in the others face. The expression was a healthy mix of confusion and suspicion with a hint of compassion toward each other.

It was the strangest thing they'd ever felt.

Evangeline opened her eyes, let go of Regina's hand, and dragged Emma's gaze away from the mayors with her other. The entire walk home, Emma was silent. Her mind was reeling with thoughts from the party, Evangeline's actions at the end of the party, and the awkward yet tender moment that passed between her and Regina only moments earlier. Evangeline, however, indulged Mary-Margaret about her talk with David. She liked hearing about relationships that came together on their own.

It was only when they reached the apartment and Emma was in the shower safely out of hearing distance, that Mary-Margaret asked about Evangeline's observations.

"Well, it's better and worse than I thought."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Better as in, they have a _very _strong connection. Worse as in, they are going to be harder to connect that I imagined. They are quite resistant to each other."

"Them? Resistant? Couldn't be why Emma attacked my toaster." Mary-Margaret chuckled lightly before ascending the stairs to get ready for bed herself.

Evangeline smiled and turned to look out the window at the moon. Her gaze wandered through the dimly light streets of Storybrook and came to rest on a figure standing outside of an odd little shop. Her eyes narrowed and then widened in recognition. So he was here. After watching the man disappear into the shop, the young blonde closed the shades and fell back onto the couch. She'd have to be more careful from now on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Hello all! Thank you once again for the lovely comments 3 They mean more to me than you think.**

**This chapter focuses on the beginning conflict -besides the getting Emma and Regina together one-. I am also ALWAYS up for any suggestions that you guys have! I write what amuses me, but I crave fresh ideas. You have no idea how often I roll around on my bed when I can't think of where the conversation I'm writing is going. Plus, I'm trying to keep this as canon as possible, but sometimes I write before an episode and then I don't want to rewrite my chapter -because good god, I would never update that way!- so I apologize if anything is a bit outdated. **

**I want to apologize for the late updates. I am a senior in high school, taking college classes, trying to get into a musical theater program in college while working and training horses. I try to work on this as much as possible (aka, during my psychology and physics classes) and I am _not_ dropping it anytime soon. If I do end up dropping it ever, I will let you know with an author's note. But don't plan on that ;) Now enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own characters except my oc, no affiliation with abc... -yawn-**

Over the next few weeks nothing was out of the norm, except for a few certain members of Storybrooke. Ever since the party, Emma had been running into Regina more than usual. The mayor had been doing more and more drop-ins at the department, and for the most ridiculous reasons. _What is the recent crime rate?_or _How are the cell bars holding up?_The thing that bothered Emma was that she found herself not minding the routine meetings with the mayor. In fact, she found herself waiting for Regina to visit her. ****

The mayor had also been running into Evangeline more and more; There were incidental meetings near Mary-Margaret's apartment, or at the diner, or anywhere in town, really. The young girl seemed to enjoy the mayor's presence almost as much as Emma did, although Emma didn't know why she enjoyed it. It was wrong. Regina was her enemy, right? The only thing different about Evangeline was that she was a bit bi polar in her reactions to Regina. Sometimes she'd be as happy with the mayor as Emma was, while other times she was distant and cold.****

Along with the curious appearances of the mayor, Mr. Gold had been robbed and caught beating the man responsible with his cane. The pawnshop owner's jailing had given Regina even more initiative to visit the station. The first time the brunette had stopped by to check on Gold, however, she'd been cold to Emma. "I'm giving you one half hour to take Henry for ice cream, sheriff." And that was that. Emma took Henry for ice cream and made sure to bring him back after twenty-nine and a half minutes; Regina wasn't one to cross boundaries with that day.****

Mary-Margaret had been strange around David, or rather, she _wasn't_around David. Kathryn had found out about the two and had acted, in what Emma thought, was a rational way to act when you find out your husband is having an affair. Although, Mary-Margaret and David weren't having an _affair_, she still had a right to feel betrayed.****

Today, Evangeline had asked to go to the station with Emma. She didn't blame the girl. Sitting in Mary-Margaret's apartment until one of the two women came home from work had probably worn itself a little thin. So, Emma agreed. What Evangeline didn't realize, was that Mr. Gold would be in the same proximity as her, which the sheriff realized once they both stepped foot into the station. The young blonde stopped in her tracks upon seeing the man in the cell, but soon kept walking closely to Emma, grasping her hand in the process. Emma smiled to herself and gave Evangeline's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go and sitting down at her desk, groaning at the stack of paperwork in front of her. ****

**"**Not gonna lie, it gets pret-ty boring around here," she said after a while, slapping another piece of paper off the stack onto the space in front of her. ****

**"**That's fine. I was getting bored just sitting at hom-"****

**"**Well, that's a problem that could easily be solved." Came a voice smoother than silk and more dangerous than a tiger. Rounding the corner was Regina and Henry, who had a giant grin on his face upon seeing Emma and Evangeline. He bounded up into Emma's arms and then turned to Evangeline to give her a bear hug, which she uneasily relaxed into. Regina wore a soft, warm smile which Emma had been seeing more and more often lately and reached out to pull Emma's hand and lead her toward the door. "Why don't you take a break to eat lunch with Henry and I? Evangeline can come too, of course." the mayor said with her trademark smirk. Emma's heart stuttered and she hesitated, but couldn't protest when Henry begged with major puppy dog eyes: something he definitely got from her. She smiled, nodding, and then allowed herself to be dragged out the door by a very excited Henry and Evangeline, who was just happy to have something to do.****

As the first three left the station, Regina moved to follow but was stopped by a mumbling from the cell across the room. "What?" she snapped, turning to stalk up to the bars.****

**"**I said, nice little family you got there, _your majesty_," Gold remarked with a knowing look in his eyes. Regina's eyes became darker than they'd been in a long time as she neared his enclosure with her teeth almost barred. "I'd hate to see a happy group, such as that, to have something unfortunate happen," he added. The brunette snarled, dangerously close to him, her hands gripping the bars white knuckled. "You. Wouldn't. Dare." she whispered hoarsely, never loosing an inch of composure. ****

**"**Oh, I'd never," the man replied sickly sweet, with mock innocence.****

Regina smiled nastily at him. "Good. Because if you do," she put a finger to her lips in thought. "Well, let's just hope you don't."****

**"**Well, _please_hurry to catch up with your group Madame Mayor. Wouldn't want you to... be late." Gold said, with a hint of threat in his voice, and Regina's head snapped to the door with worry in her face, eliciting a dark chuckle from the pawn shop owner. She snarled once again at him before quickly exiting the station to find Emma and the two children waiting for her.****

_****

The lunch at Granny's was sufficiently awkward for everyone, even Ruby, who didn't dare make any playful comments about the odd group. Henry was the first to bravely cut through the silence, which Emma was grateful for and made a mental note to thank him later. "So Ev-Angie," he covered up with a small cough. "you... into any sports?" Regina's eyes widened ever-so-slightly and Emma almost did a spit take, while Evangeline remained perfectly composed. "Actually, I dance." she replied cooly, taking a sip of her cocoa. Emma turned to face the young blonde with disbelief on her face. How was she so quick witted? ****

**"**What about you?" she asked with complete innocence on her face.****

Henry shrugged and leaned his arms on the table top. "Nah, I'm not the sporty type." ****

Silence. _Again_.****

Ruby rounded the table with their orders, _thank god_, and they all happily munched, thankful of the reason to not make conversation. After lunch was over, Emma got into an argument with Regina about who was paying and the two kids leaned against the bar next to Ruby, rolling their eyes. When all was said and done, Regina ended up paying for everyone leaving a grumbling sheriff back by the table. ****

**"**Have a great day Emma." Ruby emphasized as Emma passed, giving the blonde a wink before spinning on her heels to get back to work. With a confused look on her face, Emma turned to follow everyone out when she collided with the stationary body in front of her. Tingles shot from where she made contact with the person in front of her throughout her entire body and eventually short circuited her brain. All she could do was make a futile attempt to catch her breath, but her body seemed to have forgotten how exactly to do that. After the feeling passed, it left her with a pleasant buzzed feeling in her head. She moved her gaze to meet that of the person's in front of her and she found Regina once again mirroring her expression. The two of them quickly looked away from each other, but as they made to leave the diner, Emma realized that Regina had intertwined her hand with the blondes. Regina didn't remove her hand, and Emma didn't protest when they kept them together all the way back to the station. It made everything seem okay, and Emma wasn't one to pass that feeling up right now.

She really needed to find a new way to release her tension. That was her first thought as she ripped the lid off of the coffee maker. Her second thought was that she had horrible aim, as she threw the lid at the trash can, completely missing and probably leaving a dent in the cabinets with a loud clank.****

What the _hell_was she thinking? Walking through town holding hands with _the mayor?_Storybrooke was really having an effect on her, and not a positive one. What was happening to her? First, lunch. Then, holding hands? This was stupid, stupid, _stupid._****

Oh, there goes the waffle iron. Shit. She's going to have to reimburse Mary-Margaret for a set of new kitchen appliances.****

**"**Emma, you really need to take an anger management class..." came a soft voice from behind her. Emma turned to face her roommate with an apologetic look on her face and she set the screwdriver down and walked away, leaving the broken pieces of kitchen appliances strewn across the counter. She huffed and shuffled passed Mary-Margaret to throw herself on the couch and close her eyes.****

**"**You... wanna talk about it?"

**"**Nope." ****

Mary-Margaret opened her mouth to respond, but decided to leave it alone and headed upstairs. Irritated, Emma pulled a blanket up to her chin and jabbed the buttons on the remote to watch something that would take her mind away from everything. ****

**"**Godammit." she mumbled when her choices where either sappy romances or sappy romantic comedies. Why couldn't the heavens just put on a shoot 'em up for once? She was tired of romance, it was crap. She sighed loudly and turned the TV off to stare at the ceiling when a thought occurred to her. Why were romances bothering her? She didn't have any feelings toward anyone...****

The more she thought about it, the more her mind kept going to one particular brunette with an attitude problem. Gears began to turn and before long, a light bulb went off in the blondes head. ****

**"**What. The. Fuck." she grounded out breathily and pulled the covers over her head.****

Emma stayed with the covers over her head all night and sleepily stumbled up the stairs to her bedroom the next morning where she proceeded to lay with her head under the covers all day. She didn't even bother to pick up her phone when it rang. This was going to be a rough day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Note: ALL, well most, UNCOVERED. LOTS-OF-INFORMATION-YOU'VE-BEEN-WONDERING-ABOUT-REVEALED CHAPTER.****  
><strong>**Also, I need a beta. I was reading through my other chapters, and they're really kind of crap. I feel bad that you all have to read that shit. Any takers? I would like to know what stories you've edited though.****  
><strong>**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Evangeline. I am not affiliated with ABC. (I kinda wonder what would happen if I said I was though...? Would they hunt me down? Just a thought...)******

**BTW: OUaT writers... STOP BLOWING HOLES IN MY SHIP. ******

What the _hell_was she thinking? Walking through town holding hands with _the sheriff?_And she had been the one to initiate it! Emma Swan was definitely having an affect on her and for the first time in a long time, she felt fear. Feelings that she had worked so hard to tuck away where even she couldn't find them were being pulled up to the surface by that troublesome woman with ease, threatening to break her facade. The blonde was practically a magnet for them. ****

Regina paced back and forth in her study when she was brought out of her fuming by a soft knock. Henry stood there half behind the door to the study as if to shield himself from her presence. The mayor forced her muscles to relax and her lips into a small smile. "You ready to go?" she asked with as much innocent sincerity as she could muster.****

**"**Yeah..." her son replied and turned to leave the house. She sighed heavily, grabbing her purse, and headed out of the house after him.****

**"**Did you and Emma get in a fight?" Henry asked during the ride to school and Regina almost slammed on the breaks she stiffened so much. Had they gotten in a fight? No... Why did Henry think they had? She spread another fake smile on her face before replying to him. "No, why would you think that?"****

He shrugged and leaned his head against the window not saying another word. Regina's smile turned into a frown at his behavior, but she didn't probe him for reasoning. When they reached the school, Henry got out wordlessly leaving Regina alone with her thoughts. The only thing she could think of, however, was Emma. Why did she feel this... _pull_toward the woman? It irritated her to no end.****

Deciding to call Emma, the mayor pulled out her phone. She'd meet her at the station to prove to herself that the blonde was no more than an annoyance. This needed to be cleared up as soon as possible; it was creating disorder in Storybrooke, and Regina Mills did _not_allow disorder.****

OoOoOoOo****

**"**Sheriff Swan's station," Ruby answered the telephone in a bubbly tone. Emma had called in a sick day, which meant the flamboyant young woman had the entire station to herself. It was nice. She had complete freedom of the internet, high speed unlike at Granny's, and the phone hardly rang. "Oh, Mayor Mills... well, Emma's not here right now... yes she's home, sick." Ruby flinched at the next volume coming from the phone before replying mockingly cheery to the mayor. "Yes, I'll let her know that being the sheriff of an entire town is _very_hard work and should be kept at diligently, much unlike how she handles it. Thank you!"****

The brown haired woman set down the phone before Regina could cause complete deafness in her right ear and sighed, when a knock came at the door. "Oh, hi Ange. Did Emma bring you?" she inquired the young blonde in the doorway.****

**"**Um, no... I came to talk to you. Are you busy?" Evangeline asked quietly, nervously playing with her hair.****

**"**No, not at all!" Ruby replied, patting the seat of the chair next to her. "Have a seat, my dear."****

Evangeline crossed to Ruby gracefully and sat down with her hands folded in her lap, eyes averted to the floor. She softly bit her lip and Ruby tilted her head to face the blonde's gaze with her eyebrows raised. When Evangeline hesitated, still deciding how to phrase what she wanted to say, Ruby sat up and crossed her arms in a knowing fashion. "This is about Emma and Regina isn't it?"****

Evangeline looked up with a surprised look on her face. "Well ye- I mean, how did you..."****

**"**It's really pretty obvious, they've been acting strange ever since Mayor Mills annual bore-you-until-you-poke-your-eyes-out-with-a-pencil-for-fun party. I mean, c'mon. Their run ins at Granny's; how they act around each other; the fact that the mayor has already called wanting to talk to Emma. This may only be my second day on the job, but I'm going to assume that she calls more often than not."****

All Evangeline could do was stare at Ruby. Apparently her observational skills hadn't been lost through the curse. Thinking about how things used to be caused a small smile to play on the blonde's lips and she looked at the brunette in front of her. How it must feel to be a completely different person! Something she would never experience... she wasn't even a person now. If only she was; she wouldn't have this responsibility. None of this would have been placed on her. Tears began to well up in her eyes and her face flushed as she became more and more upset. Why was life as a human so _hard?_****

**"**Hey, hey, Angie... you okay?" came Ruby's soft voice as tears began to silently cascade down Evangeline's face. "Oh my god, um... I didn't mean any of that. I swear! They don't have feelings for each other, it's okay! Oh shit..." the brunette tried to backtrack with nowhere to go.****

**"**No, it's not that," And for once the blonde actually looked like just a seventeen year old girl: small and fragile. "It's... it's nothing," she said quickly and roughly wiped her tears on her sleeve. "I have to go, thank you Red!" and she ran out of the station as fast as her legs could carry her.****

_Red?_Ruby thought to herself. Something was prodding at the back of her mind as though a memory was trying to burst through the giant wall of her conscious. She eventually let it go and returned to her losing game of solitaire. She hoped Angie was okay...****

OoOoOoOo****

Evangeline sighed heavily, wiping the salt stains from her tear-dried cheeks. After her outburst, she'd run to the clock tower and ventured up the the roof to lay in the sun. She'd always climbed to the roofs of buildings back home, no matter what form she took. It calmed her; she liked high places. ****

Her breathing had slowed and her emotions evened enough for her to think through exactly what was happening. Human form was common for her to take, but she never stayed in it too long. She could always pretend to be a peasant girl and disappear without anyone starting up a ruckus. Here she couldn't do that. If she went missing in Storybrooke, no doubt Emma and Mary-Margaret would come looking for her. There was no place she could escape to and change form for a day or two.**  
><strong>**  
><strong>It was beginning to take its toll on her. Every day, she became subject to more and more human qualities that could potentially be dangerous. Who knew what would happen if she stayed like this for too long? Would she permanently stay human? The blonde shook her head to clear away the thought. That was most definitely _not_part of the plan.****

Regina was another problem. What a fool Evangeline had been to think that she could live in this town and _not_be noticed by the woman. The mayor realized who she was as soon as they'd met at that stupid party. She played to the girl's affections, trying to win her over and control fate herself. The queen had never been known for stupidity. She knew the nature of Evangeline's condition and parts of her past. It was almost as if Regina knew _exactly_what the blonde was craving. A family.****

She sighed... ****

A _family._****

She'd always been on her own. She didn't have family, seeing as how she wasn't born. She just _was._It had always been that way. Not that she minded much. Not having to share her thoughts and emotions with anyone but the Earth was something she'd always seen as a blessing. The neediness of humans and their habit of collecting in tight spaces together had always confused her. Now she was starting to understand. The weight of human emotions was a heavy burden and she longed for someone to talk to, for someone to comfort her.****

It was all very frustrating. Who could she talk to? Certainly not Emma. Mary-Margaret would listen and pretend to believe and understand her, but Evangeline wasn't stupid or gullible. She could tell the difference. Even though the brunette's memory had been sparked by their conversation, it was going to take more than a short chat to bring back Snow White.****

The blonde huffed and sat up, bringing her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. No one here understood except for apparently Regina and Henry... ****

_Henry!_Henry knew! Her heart lept in her chest as she jumped to her feet and deeply inhaled the fresh air surrounding her. Her lips curled back to reveal a pearly white smile and she blew the sun a kiss before throwing herself off the tower and landing on the concrete several yards below with poise that would've made a gymnast faint.****

OoOoOoOo****

Emma Swan finally decided to get out of bed when the heat under her comforter escalated past 'uncomfortably warm'. Her entire body protested when the brisk air in the apartment encompassed her sweat sheen skin, but if she stayed in bed much longer, she'd probably be able to open it up for business as a sauna. Her thoughts were staggered and half-awake as she went through the motions for a typical morning, even though it was actually late afternoon. _Go to the kitchen... Regina... cereal and a doughnut... Regina... Forced comedy TV shows... Regina..._****

By about the seventh time Regina had wormed her way into Emma's thoughts, the blonde slammed the remote down on the table and angrily crossed her arms with a childish huff. _This infatuation has to stop._She demanded of herself and presently a very enlightening idea popped into her head. She still owed August that drink. A smile spread across her face and she raced up the stairs to retrieve her phone. All she needed was a way to work this stupid Regina fantasy out of her system, and a guy with a drink would most definitely do the trick.**  
><strong>**  
><strong>Emma was beginning to dial the phone with glee coursing through her veins when she realized, _she didn't have his number._Of course. "Goddamnit." she muttered, dropping the phone on the bed and wiped her hands down her face. _Leave it to me,_she thought snidely. She needed to ask August _now._They needed to have a date tonight, it couldn't wait.****

Disregarding her decision to stay inside all day, Emma threw on her jeans and jacket and jumped in her yellow bug. August was almost _always_at Granny's flirting with Ruby. And so what if he was? Emma just wanted a one time deal to make it all go away.****

Almost wrecking her car, the sheriff pulled along the sidewalk to the diner and quite gracefully stumbled over her own feet trying to get in the door. "Shit," Emma inspected her now skinned hands. "At least they're not bleeding." ****

As expected, August was in a backward-facing booth and she quickly scanned for signs of Ruby. She could probably tell Emma where the best place to go tonight would be. She was starting to become frustrated when it dawned on her that the reason she was even able to stay home today was because she hired Ruby as deputy. _Duh._Shaking off her obvious need to crawl back into bed, the blonde made her way toward August and sat in the booth across from him, leaning her elbows on the table.****

**"**Can I help you, sheriff?"****

**"**Yeah. How bout that drink?"****

OoOoOoOo****

Blonde curls bounced around Evangeline's head like a lively halo, and more than the school's fair share of boys were staring. Her radiant hair complimented her delicate, freckled face, giving her a beautiful glow and an innocent aura But her eyes, though beautiful, demanded no approach. Rounding her fourth corner, she finally came to the doorway of Miss Blanchard's classroom and scanned it for signs of Henry. The bell rang and she backed herself in between a set of lockers and the wall before following Henry and his classmates outside for recess. Many students stared at her and even a couple teachers asked her if she was a new student, but she cooly dismissed them and continued outside with the rest of Miss Blanchard's class. When they emerged into the yard, Evangeline dodged swiftly through the children before grabbing one small hand and leading the owner away from the rest of the class, further away from the rest of the class. ****

**"**Evangeline!" Henry exclaimed and threw his arms around her. She was really going to have to get used to the lack of personal space people in Storybrooke possessed. ****

**"**Hey, Henry. I need to talk to you." Her eyes darted around the yard. Checking for signs of eavesdroppers.****

He rolled his eyes. "Duh, why else would you be here?"****

They sat in the grass and the young girl unloaded. By the time she had finished, there was a perfectly symmetrical ring of dirt around her where she'd absentmindedly picked the grass out of the ground. Amazingly, it felt like a 50 pound weight had been lifted off her chest, and Henry had listened quietly and patiently.****

**"**Wow... that's a lot more than what was in the book."****

**"**Yeah, well. Not a lot has been recorded about me."****

Henry shuffled so he was sitting beside Evangeline instead of in front of her. "So, I have a question, and it's kinda off topic, but kinda has to do with you."****

She eyed him curiously.****

**"**Did you notice my mom and... well, my mom holding hands?" He asked, obviously trying to hide the confusion and slight repulsion in his voice.****

She gave a slight twinkle of a laugh before grabbing his hand in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I thought you wanted them to get along?"****

**"**Well, yeah. But... it was kind of gross."****

**"**Henry... your mom... Emma...," she sighed. "Your mom is the one I'm supposed to connect Emma to, Henry."****

The boy's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, but he quickly composed himself. Something he'd obviously picked up from Regina. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times, seeming to ponder this, before gaining the ability to form his thoughts into coherent sentences. "So... _that's_why you were so confused when you first read Emma?"****

**"**Yes! And plus, they're very... _opposed_to each other. The feelings are there, and they're strong. But even in their subconscious they're retaliating. It's frustrating."****

**"**I'll agree that they're frustrating," Henry sighed. "But... that doesn't explain the hand holding."****

**"**Oh, that was me. Experimenting." The blonde replied nonchalantly.****

Henry opened his mouth to ask another question and managed to say something related to magic, but both he and Evangeline froze as they heard a familiar voice calling the boy's name. They turned to see Mary-Margaret crossing toward them and it was then that they realized all the students were gone. ****

**"**Henry, what are you doing out here?" The brunette asked and her eyes settled on Evangeline who flashed her an apologetic smile. Mary-Margaret directed Henry back toward the school and gave Evangeline a pointed look. The blonde bit her lip and gave her best puppy dog eyes before bounding away. She needed to go home and mull over her strategies anyway.****

OoOoOoOo****

When she'd made it about a block away from the apartment, a door opened, almost directly smacking her in the face. She narrowly dodged it, bringing her face to face with Mr. Gold. Her breath caught in her throat and her muscles froze. He seemed to lean in closer with every waking moment with an intimidating stance, quizzically searching her face as if to find answers to troubling questions there, and Evangeline found herself unable to move. ****

When his face became no more than mere inches away, the warning call of a stray bird ignited her muscles and she gathered herself enough to sprint away. She didn't stop until she was upstairs in Emma's room and buried in the covers of her bed.


	6. Reasons

**A/N: **Hey guys. I want to take the time –now that I finally have some- to apologize for the lack of an update. The past few months have been WAY crazy for me and life comes before fic. I will state again that I am _not giving up on this fic._ I've had some pm's about if I've dropped it. The answer is _no._ My life's just been kind of crazy and really busy lately. Our barn burned down and we lost 5 of our best performance horses; the owner's secretary/best friend died; The barn manager's house has black mold in it and we have to fix that; I was gone for three weeks at music institutes and acting intensives; and we just hosted my graduation party.

The fic is half way done! Don't worry people, the next chapter will be up soon. Again, I apologize for the lateness of it. I love your subscriptions to the story and me 3 LOVE LOVE LOVE them. Please don't stop them. They make me smile and that's a very important thing right now.

Thank you for your patience guys. I really appreciate it c:


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the long update time. But I love you guys and you keep me going strong!******

**Something funny's going on behind what's going on here...******

**"**What's wrong, kiddo?"****

Emma was met with a groan and muffled words. She smiled and shook her head at Evangeline's crumpled form on the bed and went back to putting on her skinny jeans and boots. "You know, you'll feel better if you get it out."****

There was a shuffle, followed by a huff of air, and Evangeline was in a sitting position with Emma's pillow in her lap. Despite squirming in the covers for the past 15 minutes not a hair was out of place, nor were there red marks on her face from laying on it in an awkward position. She stared at Emma blankly and after a few moments of silence, "What are you getting ready for?"****

**"**I'll tell you if you tell me what's bothering you."****

The freckled girl seemed to ponder it for a moment, having an inner battle, before giving in. "My emotions have been running a little bit rampant lately, nothing I can't handle." she replied quickly and raised her eyebrows expectantly at Emma, reminding the sheriff once more of Regina, causing her to falter before answering Evangeline.****

**"**I have a date tonight."****

This comment seemed to brighten Evangeline's brilliant green eyes and she couldn't help grinning. "You have a date? With whom?" she asked, bouncing lightly on the bed. Maybe everything was going faster than she thought.****

**"**August." Emma replied simply and returned to the bathroom. _Thud._The blonde whirled around to find Evangeline on the floor with a look of defeat on her face. ****

**"**Why can't you just be easy?" She whined into the floorboards, seeming to sink into them by the weight of her own plans demise. Hadn't she been able to connect _anything_at Granny's? Surely her efforts weren't in vain? The whining in her head subsided when she thought again about who she was trying to bring together. This would be the hardest task she would ever have to accomplish, connecting the white knight and the evil queen. And yet, she was complaining about how long it was taking. No, that simply wouldn't do. ****

Her chest huffed with a deep steadying sigh and she brought herself back up onto the bed. Emma chuckled and returned to the bathroom, speaking from inside it. "So I take it August isn't my 'true love'?" She accented with finger quotations marks and a smirk. It wasn't that Evangeline's idea of true love wasn't a lovely concept; it was. But something as pure and simple as true love just didn't belong in the real world. It belonged in Henry's fairy tale book with evil queens and poisoned apples. Evil queens with beautiful brown hair, deep caramel eyes, long toned legs...****

**"**Emma!"**  
><strong>**  
><strong>The blonde looked up, startled, and then sheepishly turned to her dresser in search of earrings. This date could _not_come any slower, and Emma needed it _now._****

When she was finished getting ready Emma waited by the door, absentmindedly stirring the hot chocolate that Mary-Margaret had made for her. Her gaze drifted off through the non-primed wood, past the apartment, and rested upon a certain olive toned beauty. Her mind played different memories over and over again as if her brain was set on replay; her first moments in Storybrooke; her becoming of sheriff; her petty arguments with Regina, and most recently; her walk back to the mayoral mansion after the awkward afternoon at Granny's. She could still feel Regina's hand lingering in her own and tingles shot up through her arm and into her chest at the vivid memory.****

A sharp knock brought her out of her doe-eyed daydream and a small formed on her lips. She was going to have a blast tonight! She quickly opened the door to find August leaning against the frame in a brown leather jacket, thinner than his black one, and what looked like a pair of new jeans. He eyed her with a smirk. "You ready to go?" He asked and held up the black riding helmet he'd forced her to wear the first time she went 'for a drink' with him. ****

**"**On one condition," she said, taking the helmet and placing it on the table behind her. "That I don't have to wear _that_."****

August raised both eyebrows as he took in a dramatic breath. "Well, I guess as long as I'm not liable for your possible injuries."****

_Wow, what a jackass._The blonde thought smiling slightly, and with an eyeroll she ushered them out of the room. "Whatever, let's get this show on the road."****

OoOoOoOo****

They ended up going the the small pub just outside of Storybrooke, or as Emma referred to it, the middle of East Jesus Nowhere. Why they couldn't have gone to an actual bar in the nearest city was a beyond her, but August insisted that this particular place had the best wings. _Men._Always in it for themselves, never considering others opinions. But by any means, Emma was not going to let this ruin her night. The wings were pretty good, anyway.****

By the their 4th round of drinks the pair was starting to sit closer and August was getting pretty touchy feely, patting Emma's thigh, rubbing her arm and lower back, and whispering the stupidest shit imaginable in her ear. The closer he got, the more uncomfortable Emma felt... almost _guilty_in a way. So, in turn, the more uncomfortable Emma felt, the more she rebelled against it and flirted right back with August.****

The two stumbled out of the bar, clinging onto each other as compensation for their current lack of balance. After making the entire distance to August's ride, Emma's drunken haze began to clear. _I'm pretty sure he shouldn't be driving that thing this drunk._She stopped him and spun him around to face her as he went to mount the bike. "August, wait... I don't think," she began, but the trees started spinning threateningly at her and she had to grab onto him to keep her legs underneath her. He put a finger to her lips and shushed her, holding her closer than Emma would have preferred. ****

**"**It's okay, I know exactly what you're trying to say." He slurred with an attempt at romance. His smouldering look was boring deep into her eyes and even though she should have pushed him away, she found his statement and face unbelievably funny and broke into a hysterical fit of laughter. Soon, even though he had no idea what was so funny, August began to laugh too. Emma came up gasping for air, one hand on her stomach and one hand gripping his arm for support. She started to speak again, attempting to convey what she meant to get out the first time, but without missing a beat, August grabbed her face and pulled her in for a rough, messy kiss. The sheriff tried to grab his leather jacket and push him away, but in his drunken state, August only felt her trying to pull her closer to him. His hands left her face and moved down to her waist, feeling along her shirt as he went, and pulled her hips into his. ****

**"**August, no.. I ca.. stop!" The blonde muffled out during breaks in the kiss and finally, she effectively pushed the man away. He staggered back, the hurt evident in his eyes. Emma took deep breaths as she regained her senses. The pain in August's eyes began swirling, mixing with anger, and he took intoxicated steps toward her. She needed to get out of here. Fast. "What the fuck, Emma?"****

Emma backed up quickly, keeping her eyes on her pursuer, before turning and running through the parking lot, her eyes not being able to focus. _Fucking cars, can't they just hold still?_She dodged car, after truck, after van, working her way through the lot to the street where she could hopefully get a speedy pick up back to town. She heard August advancing behind her but forced herself not to look back. _Speedy son of a bitch._She willed her legs to carry her faster; her arms to pump harder at her sides; and her feet to stop missing the pavement. The road was getting closer, she was almost there.****

_Smack._****

Emma bounced off the car door that had just opened, into a bike behind her, knocking it over. As she began to fall down after it, a strong hand gripped hers, pulling her back into an upright position. There was a major pounding in her head and her stomach felt like it had been punted by a linebacker, but there was no time to assess her possible injuries as she was being shoved into the car in front of her. She blindly batted at the hands pushing at her, refusing to be taken captive. A familiar irritated sigh sounded in her ears along with a sharp, "get in," and she allowed herself to fall into the car. That voice was so familiar... ****

OoOoOoOo****

Mary-Margaret glanced nervously once again at the clock. 12:47 pm. Emma said she wasn't going to be out late. She was a grown woman and had managed 28 years by herself, but still the school teacher couldn't help worrying. Her nails were bitten off, her hair greasy from being run through by her hands, and her eyes droopy. Maybe she should call? Just to make sure... No. No, Emma could take care of herself. She didn't need an overbearing, hovering roommate checking on her all the time.****

She looked at the clock again. 12:49 pm. She sighed and turned up the volume on the TV in a futile attempt to keep herself awake.****

OoOoOoOo****

Evangeline sat in Emma's room, staring out the window listlessly. She needed to work through her methods. What she used to bring Katherine and Frederick together would most certainly not work. They took to each other like flies to ointment. Red and Peter were quite easy as well.****

She sifted through the different methods and couples she'd used in the past until she came across one that matched her current situation perfectly. She jumped through the window and hit the ground running toward the mayoral mansion with one perfect thought in her head. A couple with almost perfect parallels to Emma and Regina.****

Snow White and Prince Charming.****

OoOoOoOo****

Henry lightly bit his tongue in concentration as he sifted through his thick brown story book. His flashlight shining a bright blue glow on the yellowing pages. After Evangeline had visited him with her newest realization, he hadn't put the book down. He needed to search through all the Snow White and Prince Charming parts for clues on how to get his moms together. He wasn't exactly sold on the idea, but maybe this was how the curse was supposed to break. They'd figure out how to defeat the Evil Queen after that was taken care of. Emma would do it; she wouldn't let him down. She was the White Knight.****

He flinched and quickly hit the button on his light when he heard the front door slam. Venturing out from under his covers, Henry glanced at the clock to see the reading 1:04 am. The loud sounds of heels on the hardwood floor and keys on the counter vibrated in his ears and his brows furrowed in confusion. Why was his mom coming home at such a late time? Better yet, when did she leave? After a few minutes he heard footsteps advancing up the stairs and shoved the book under his pillow, pulling the covers up to his chin and squeezing his eyes shut in faux sleep.****

Shuffling sounded on the floor and there was a groan that didn't sound like it belonged to his mom that was followed by an annoyed sigh that could come from none other than her. He pictured her pursing her lips and rolling her eyes at whatever was giving her trouble. Curiosity nagged at the back of his mind, but sleep overrode his need to know what was going on and his eyes closed into a dreamy sleep.****

OoOoOoOo****

Regina sighed as she tried to hold onto Emma, open the door, and keep from dropping her brand new Gucci purse at the same time. The blonde had fought her a sloppy tooth and nail ever since getting her in the car, making a difficult time of bringing her home. There was no doubt about the fact that she was highly intoxicated and the buzz was no where near wearing off.****

The mayor set down her purse once inside the door, ridding herself of an obstacle, and leaned Emma against the wall to lock the door behind her. When she turned to face the stairs, Emma had re-attached herself to Regina, burying her face in the brunette's hair and latching onto her shirt with almost a white knuckled grip. The mayor gasped and goosebumps rose on her skin as Emma's warm breath soaked into her and swirled through her hair. _She sure is a clingy drunk_, the mayor thought to herself, trying to rid herself of the feeling as she half carried the sheriff to the guest bedroom.****

The blonde was fine in the guest room, until Regina tried to take her leave. Every time the brunette untangled herself from one of Emma's holds, she found herself re-attatched in another spot. She sighed and looked condescendingly down at the blonde at rolled her eyes when Emma groaned muffled words into her stomach like a child. "Emma, you _need _to go to bed," she scolded, but Emma only reacted by groaning, "Nooo!"****

**"**Will you go to sleep if I stay with you?" The mayor asked impatiently.****

Emma nodded into the material of Regina's shirt and allowed the brunette to peel her hands off the mayor's now makeup stained, white business shirt. Regina looked around the room, at the wooden chair in the corner, and then the twin sized bed in the middle. There was no way in _hell_she was sleeping in here tonight. The chair was most definitely not an option and if she had to sleep in the same bed as the sheriff, it would need to be a lot bigger than this one. The thought of sharing the same bed as Emma caused a heat to form in her cheeks and travel down to pool between her thighs, but she shoved the thought into a box in her mind and locked it tight. ****

**"**Alright, come on then."****

They eventually made the trip up the stairs, with Regina constantly giving Emma harsh looks for being so noisy. It wouldn't do to wake Henry up at this time of night, especially with the sheriff in _her house_in her drunken state. They shuffled into the master bedroom and after a few failed attempts on Emma's part, Regina had to help her remove all but her tank top. The blonde snuggled contentedly into the satin sheets of the mayor's bed, her hair still in a bun and for a moment, all Regina could do was stare at the sleeping beauty in her bed. Even though she was flushed her skin still had a summers glow to it, her chest delicately rose and fell as she drifted into sleep, her lips...****

No. She couldn't think like this. She wouldn't think like this.****

But, Emma did look beautiful laying there clad in tank top in her own bed. Regina allowed herself a small smile and changed into a tank top and shorts and crawled into bed beside Emma. Normally she slept in the nude, but with the blonde next to her the idea was ridiculous. But the more she thought about it, the warmer she felt _everywhere_. ****

With an annoyed huff, the brunette set her alarm earlier than usual and turned to face the edge of the bed and willing herself to sleep.****

OoOoOoOo****

August sat in silence in his room at Granny's, clutching his motorcycle keys, seething in anger. How _dare_she run away from him? Wasn't he handsome? Wasn't he charming? Wasn't he everything any girl ever wanted? But the _one_girl he needed to like him did not. She ran away from him.****

Then he thought about the mayor, who was conveniently at the bar. Fucking interference, that's all she was. Menace of a woman... He'd have to take care of that. The big man was _not_going to be happy about this. August pounded his fist on the table, causing the magazines and cups to crash onto the hardwood floor. He took a deep, hard breath and stood up, scooting his chair rather loudly across the floor and flung his jacket with no particular aim before flopping onto his bed and forcing his eyes shut.****

OoOoOoOo**  
><strong>**  
><strong>**"**Mary-Margaret, go to bed." Came Evangeline's stern voice from behind her, jolting the teacher awake. The TV had changed to an infomercial about blenders. She looked out the window; the night was still black. "Did Emma come home?" she asked in a quiet sleepy voice.****

**"**No, she's spending the night somewhere else." The girl replied as if she'd just won the lottery.****

**"**What!? She's staying with August?"****

Evangeline gave Mary-Margaret a look of disgust. "Absolutely not. I _did_check on her. Do you really think I'd let her stay with that penniless writer?"****

Mary-Margaret checked the clock. 2:07 am. "Are you _sure_she's okay? Where is she?"****

At this, Evangeline smiled wide. "She's with... _you-know-who_."****

The school teacher gasped and sat up with delight, clasping her hands together. "She is!? That's... wow, I didn't expect it to happen that fast."****

**"**Oh no, nothing's happening. Regina... _found_Emma drunk and she was too highly intoxicated to come home."****

Mary-Margaret pondered this a moment and smiled a small smile to herself. "I guess I should go to bed then. I have school tomorrow after all," she yawned and slowly climbed the stairs to her bedroom. "Oh, and Evangeline?"****

**"**Hmm?"****

**"**Don't spy on Emma so much."****

**OOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOO OOOOOOoooooooooo!****  
><strong>**What's gonna happen in the morning? Uh-oh!**


End file.
